ABOUT US
Rhino Foods, founded in 1981, develops and manufactures edible bakery-style ingredients for use in ice cream and frozen desserts in Burlington, Vermont, where Founder Ted Castle has long sought socially responsible ways to “impact the manner in which business is done.”
In 2006, Ted participated in a training program held by the local United Way for a broad cross section of community stakeholders (nonprofit organizations, local government agencies, religious organizations, employers, and others) to raise awareness about the resource constraints and barriers faced by people living in poverty, and to seek community solutions. At the training, Ted and other employers found explanations they hadn’t considered for some of the intractable challenges they faced with lower-wage employees. As a result, local employers formed a working group dedicated to improving workplace productivity and retention through efforts to increase employee financial stability, wellbeing, and advancement.
This employer working group formed the basis for the United Way Working Bridges program and spurred the local development and adoption of innovative workplace solutions including shared resource coordination and an employer-sponsored small-dollar loan program. Rhino Foods was among the first employers to pilot the Working Bridges program in Northwest Vermont in 2007. As a result, productivity and retention at Rhino Foods has increased, the company has grown, and Ted and the company leadership team have continued to test and share innovative employee-centered programs—including initiatives to support refugee employees (now nearly 40 percent of the Rhino Foods workforce) and retain seasonal employees through an employee exchange program with other local businesses.
Rhino’s efforts have resulted in increased awareness and adoption of the employer-sponsored small-dollar loan program nationwide, including the near statewide availability of the program in Vermont, where it has been adopted by four credit unions and a community bank to support the more than 80 companies that now offer the program. He has received national awards and recognition from other business leaders, nonprofit asset-building organizations, academics (most recently in the Stanford Social Innovation Review), and the media (including The Wall Street Journal and Forbes). In 2013, Rhino Foods became a Certified B Corp (meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability) and, in 2018, Ted was presented with the Hal Taussig Be the Change Award, the B Corp community’s highest honor.
That same year, Ted launched the nonprofit Rhino Foods Foundation to accelerate the advancement of employee-centered workplace practices, inspire business leaders to think more deeply about their employee engagement strategies, cultivate communities of collaboration and innovation, and empower human resources professionals with proven tools and programs.
MISSION
We spread innovative workplace practices that champion employee financial stability and make good business sense.
HOW WE WORK
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Influence
Deepen the business community's understanding of their workers' needs, their role in addressing them, and the shared benefit of doing so.
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Elevate
Elevate and center worker experience and voice in the design and delivery of workplace practices.
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Innovate
Innovate, incubate, and refine workplace-based programs that address worker financial stability.
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Cultivate
Cultivate an ecosystem that can support the delivery of workplace solutions at scale.
HISTORY
Leadership & Governance
Board of Directors
Executive Leadership
Christina Blunt, Executive Director
Christina brings 17 years of experience in capacity building, strategic partnership creation, and organizational development. Prior to joining the Rhino Foods Foundation, Christina was a researcher and consultant, based in the Middle East and West Africa, working with domestic nonprofits and international NGOs to ensure operational effectiveness.
Before moving abroad, she served as a program manager for the Feeding America food bank in Miami, Florida, designing and implementing wrap around services for families experiencing financial insecurity, and as senior program manager of the Institutional Partnerships for Learning and Development Program at the Harvard School of Public Health. As part of this portfolio, Christina designed and executed humanitarian capacity development programs, including the creation and maintenance of communities of practice, the facilitation of more than a dozen in-person and virtual professional development trainings, and the moderation of expert panel discussions.
Christina earned a B.A. in Sociology from Stonehill College and an M.Sc. in Human Rights from the London School of Economics.
Financials
The Rhino Foods Foundation is a tax exempt, charitable organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). In addition, the Organization is classified as a Public Charity under IRC 170(b)(1)(A)(vi). Contributions to the Rhino Foods Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent provided under current law.
Supporters
We are proud to have the support of committed individuals and community members that believe in our mission. In addition, we are grateful to the following businesses for their funding.
Nondiscrimination Statement
The Rhino Foods Foundation is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.